The Atlas Chronicles
by LtBobPMonkey
Summary: When White Fang attacks in Atlas reach a new level of intensity, Team RWBY is sent to investigate. But will they be able to stop the attacks and apprehend those responsible, or will there be all-out war in the largest city on Remnant as winter fast approaches? Will update as often as possible.
1. Black, Mercury

A lone figure in black walked silently down the deserted street, which was nearly overflowing with snow. As another howling wind from the far north rushed into the tight corridor between buildings, the force of wind pushed the stranger over. If anybody had been there, they would have heard the stranger swear profusely as they brushed the snow off and continued walking until they reached an old warehouse which showed no signs of having been used in years. Turning down an alley beside the warehouse, they walked up to a dilapidated door and rapped on it three times. The door opened for them, and they entered without a word.

A faunus in White Fang armor shut the door behind the newcomer. The warehouse was quiet, but it was packed nearly to the brim with crates and equipment.

"Good to see you made it," the faunus said by way of greeting.

"Where's the human?" the stranger asked demandingly. The faunus gestured to the staircase that led down to the basement. The newcomer nodded and went down, where there were even more crates and pieces of equipment. An Atlesian Paladin-290 sat empty in the corner.

"Glad you were quick about it. I _hate _waiting." The voice, snarky and carefree, came from a dark corner of the basement.

"I'm here. What did you need?"

Mercury Black jumped down from the crate he was sitting on in a dark corner of the room. He wore a big grey cloak trimmed with fur over his armor, making him look significantly larger than the figure in black.

"I've got news from Vale."

"Spit it out, then, human."

Mercury ignored that. "I've just heard from the boss. Things have gotten even worse in Vale. Ironwood's really hit us hard over there. So, we're going through with the plan we discussed previously."

"We don't have the resources for that, Black."

"Not _yet. _That's why there'll be Schnee Dust Company freighter coming in next week from Vale loaded with dust, equipment, White Fang.. And the boss herself."

"She's coming here, huh? Alright. I'll get everything ready. Should I recall some of our operatives from their bases in Mantle?"

"Definitely, but not too many. We may need help here in Atlas, but there's still a lot of targets to strike in Mantle."

"Understood." The figure in black turned to leave.

"Oh, and another thing. Half of Ironwood's fleet is on its way back to Atlas. He feels that Vale doesn't need as much protection as it did, now that he's 'beating back the enemy', in his words."

"I see. And Ironwood?"

"He'll be remaining in Vale."

"Will that be all?"

"No. Come here, and take off your hood. I want to look you in the eyes when I say this."

The figure in black threw back their hood, revealing an attractive woman with black hair. tiger ears, and bright yellow eyes, with tiger stripes painted on beneath them. She wore a necklace with the White Fang emblem on it.

"I'll only say this once, Katze. I expect results from you. You're not Adam Taurus, you're not a stupid bull who just charges into his problems. You're a strategist, just like me. And I know what you're capable of, your work against Schnee has proven that you're no weakling."

Mercury paused. "We both know that Taurus has been a most disappointing ally. See that the White Fang of Atlas does a better job than those of Vale, hm?"

The tiger faunus only gave a nod, flipped her hood back up, and walked away.


	2. Thus it begins

Team RWBY sat in their dorm room, still in their pajamas. Ruby sat on her bed, reading, with Blake doing the same on hers. Yang was polishing Ember Celica at a desk, and Weiss sat in the spot where the sun came through the window, painting her nails light blue.

"You guys wanna go get breakfast soon?" Yang asked.

"Sure, just let me finish this last nail," replied Weiss. Ruby and Blake murmured their agreement, still engrossed in their books.

Eventually they all got dressed and went down to the cafeteria and got some food. They sat at their usual table, which still felt admittedly empty to Teams RWBY and JNPR.

"I miss everybody. I wish they hadn't left after the Vytal Festival," Ruby sighed.

"Well, maybe we can visit Team SSSN in Mistral someday!" replied Yang cheerily. "But I miss them, too." While Weiss took a sip of her coffee, her scroll went off in her pocket. She pulled it out, and scanned the screen. After noticing that her eyebrows scrunched together, Blake spoke up. "What is it?"

"My sister just texted me. There were _seven _attacks by the White Fang on SDC facilities yesterday," she replied, barely containing her fury, "And one such attack left my uncle short a hand."

"Oh." was all that Yang had to say in reply. Blake turned away, and Ruby looked for a moment like she was going to give Weiss a bear hug but then decided against it.

"Winter also said that several foremen from SDC mines in Mantle were found tortured and executed the day before yesterday. They.. She said they were barely even recognizable as human."

"Weiss," Ruby started, but Weiss jumped up from her seat and walked away. "I need a minute," she called over her shoulder, her voice cracking. Ruby got up to go after her, but Yang grabbed her arm. "Don't," she cautioned. Weiss could be a force of nature when she was angry.

Ruby sighed, sitting back down. "I'm just.. Worried about her. There's been a lot more attacks lately and it's really starting to get to her."

"I think it got to her a long time ago, Ruby, I think it's just getting worse," Blake put in.

"I guess so," she replied glumly, "but I still want her to be happy."

"At least it's Saturday and she doesn't have to put up with any classes." They finished their breakfasts and went back to their room, but Weiss wasn't there. They sparred in the gym for three hours, and went into Vale for the rest of the afternoon, figuring that Weiss wanted her space, which was usually true in this kind of situation. When they got back to their dorm, they found her asleep in her bed. After a long day, nobody could stay awake for very long, and they soon crashed, too.

A series of knocks on the door dragged Ruby from sleep. "Ah.. Whuh? Who.. Who is it?" she called out. She could see the sun coming in through the window, but none of her teammates were awake yet.

Professor Ozpin entered the room, and Ruby suddenly felt more awake.

"Professor Ozpin? What's wrong?" She sat straight up. "Is it about Weiss?"

"To an extent, yes, it does concern Ms. Schnee. However, it is of concern for the rest of Team RWBY as well."

"What does it have to do with me?" asked Weiss, still groggy from sleep.

"You'll find out soon enough. Rest assured, it is nothing you must know immediately. When you've all dressed and had breakfast, meet me in my office."

Half an hour later, Team RWBY stood in front of Ozpin's desk, awaiting their interrogation by not only Ozpin but also Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood. At breakfast, they had all speculated what it might be about, save for Weiss, who stayed almost dead silent.

"Well, what is it, Professor?" asked Ruby nervously.

"General Ironwood and I have been in contact with the Atlas Council recently about the recent escalation of White Fang attacks on Schnee Dust Company property, which you all have surely heard about. What you may _not _have heard about is the number of attacks on Atlesian military facilities, government offices, and civilian businesses. Most interestingly, however, is that scores of witnesses reported seeing _humans_ with remarkable combat skill leading the White Fang in their raids." He leaned in and set his coffee down on his desk. "Does this sound familiar to you?"

"Sounds like Torchwick. Except he's in prison, right?" asked Yang.

"Precisely. However, we've known since the beginning that he's not working alone. He always works for somebody else. Whether it's the woman who fought with dust and fire, or the short girl with an umbrella and mismatched hair, or the White Fang, he's not alone, and isn't in charge."

"Specifically, he's in the custody of the Atlesian Armed Forces, as a prisoner of war," corrected General Ironwood. Professor Goodwitch simply rolled her eyes.

"Yes, of course. Now, the Atlesian Council has kept much of this under wraps, as they don't want to be perceived as weak by the other kingdoms, however, we were informed about it in the event of a similar escalation taking place here." continued Ozpin.

"Where do we come in?" asked Ruby.

"Excellent question. Since the attacks here in Vale have all but dissipated, General Ironwood will be taking all but one cruiser with him back to Atlas." He stood up. "We would like for you to go with him." Team RWBY's mouths fell open.

"To Atlas?" exclaimed Ruby. "But what about our friends here, and our training?"

"You girls already have exceptional skill. In fact, you're the fifth most successful team, out of every team in the school, first years to fourth years. But most importantly, you know our enemies better than anyone. Even Atlesian Intelligence is at a loss compared to you four. You've fought with them, learned from them, and foiled their plans many times. It's outstanding, truly.

"So, by my suggestion and with the approval of the Atlesian Council, we're sending you to Atlas. You will attend the hunter school in Atlas, Pharos Academy, to allow you to continue your formal training, however, you will still be students of Beacon. It will also give you a base of operations. Knowing you four, you'll find something, and act on it. I'm sure that both myself and the people of Atlas can count on you."

"And, should you ever need it, I will lend what help I can. I too will be taking the fight to the White Fang and those who lead them, so whatever supplies you need will be at your disposal," added Ironwood.

"I.. I'm just not sure, Professor. We'll miss our friends."

"And that's why you have Scrolls, Ms. Rose. While you may not be able to see them very often, you will certainly be able to talk to your friends here at Beacon, fear not."

Glynda Goodwitch spoke up for the first time. "Remember, Ms. Rose, you are huntresses-on-training, which means you must _act _like huntresses. You cannot turn this down and remain at Beacon."

"Can we talk about it for a little while?" asked Ruby.

"Of course, you may discuss it in the hallway outside my office," replied Ozpin. The girls shuffled out into the hallway.

Blake was the first to speak up. "I think we should do it. Vale needed our help, and now Atlas needs it. We'll miss Vale and Beacon, yeah, but it's our duty to help the people of Remnant."

"I agree," said Yang, "but the idea of Ruby being so far from home makes me nervous."

"Well, when we become huntresses, I'll be doing that anyway," Ruby pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right, but it still makes me nervous. At least I'll be there to watch out for you, though."

There was a brief silence. "What about you, Weiss?" asked Ruby.

"..I agree with Blake. This is our chance to get back at the White Fang and Torchwick and whoever he's been working for… Even if you three didn't want to go, I'd take the chance."

"Wooo! Team RWBY is going to Atlas!" exclaimed Ruby cheerfully.


	3. From shadows

The night hung over the facility like a shroud, yet the light of the aurorae above cut through the shadows and cast bright colors onto the tarmac. Soldiers patrolled silently, and several Paladin-290s lifted heavy equipment and shipping containers with the Schnee Dust Company logo emblazoned on them into open hangars. The base, the largest Atlas had on the northern coast outside the Mantle, filled a large valley surrounded by tall hills. Since it was in the tundra in late autumn, it was constantly buffeted by wind and snow from the north.

Katze nudged her half-asleep companion and handed him a pair of binoculars.

"Tell me what you see."

Her companion wore solid black and a mask that hid his features. "Lots of soldiers, a couple Paladins, a whole bunch of fighters on the runway.. Looks like there's a frigate coming in to land, too, escorted by a whole wing of Bullheads."

"How would you attack this base?"

"Call for reinforcements while the frigate lands, bring up a cluster of spider droids, maybe six or seven Paladins, and a pair of bullheads. Use the stolen ID codes to get the Bullheads in close, then plant a superthermal dust charge on the hull of the frigate. Detonate it, even if it means the loss of the bullheads, and then send in the ground troops while the humans flounder. And boom, we've got a whole base under our control." Katze's ears twitched at that.

"Not bad. But you still have a lot to learn." Katze turned back to watching the frigate set down on the pad that it had been directed to.

"Are we just here for recon again, or are we actually attacking this place this time?"

"Patience, brother, patience." He huffed angrily at his partner's reply.

"I know you're burning to take your vengeance. We all are. But you have to wait, otherwise your fight will be for nothing and they'll just gun you down and nobody will remember who you are or what you fought for."

Her partner simply turned away from her and went back to sleep.

* * *

"Captain Leonhard. Report." ordered the stern Major as he glared at the officer on the other side of his desk.

"Yes, sir! The frigate has arrived as scheduled, and the troops coming back from Vale are disembarking as we speak. Patrols haven't found or seen anything all night. Everybody's tired and ready for their watch to be over."

"I see. There'll be an inspection tomorrow morning, but don't tell anybody, you know I like to keep it a surprise."

"Yes sir."

The Major looked him over for a moment. "Dismissed." Captain Leonhard turned to leave, but glanced over his shoulder and stopped at the door.

"What is it, Captain? You've clearly got something on your mind, so spit it out."

Captain Leonhard rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I dunno, sir, I just get the feeling that we're next, y'know? And I don't think we're ready. The men are tired from long watches and short rests, and while it might be good to keep our eyes open, if we push them too hard they might break under pressure from the White Fang."

The Major leaned in. "You're saying that you don't have confidence in our men?"

"Not at all, sir, quite the opposite. But I've got a bad feeling."

The Major abruptly stood up, and walked over to the Captain. "A soldier should always trust his gut." He put his hand on Leonhard's shoulder. "Give the men the rest they need."

As Leonhard walked out, the Major called out, "There'll still be an inspection tomorrow!"

* * *

Katze nudged her companion awake again.

"Ugh, what time is it?" he groaned as he sat up. They were still on the distant hill from where they had been watching the Atlesian base for several hours every night for over a week.

"Almost four-thirty."

He grunted by way of reply. "What do you need now?"

"All the troops have disembarked from the frigate. They're all in their barracks now. The patrols have thinned out, too. Our attacks elsewhere have kept them on edge all week. And now they're finally cracking."

Her companion suddenly became much more lively. "Are we finally going to attack?"

"Yes."

"But how?"

"Well, we've got those spider droids that we hacked, five bullheads loaded with our best soldiers, four transports each with two Paladins, and eight fighters. Oh, and a our surprise for our human friends, of course."

"And this is enough to seize a whole base's worth of Paladins and dust? Is this even worth it? We can't exactly overpower them on their home turf."

Katze scoffed. "Who said anything about _Paladins and dust_?"

"Then what?"

Katze spread her arms out, gesturing at the base. "We're stealing the frigate, you fool, and everything on board."

"Oh." was all her companion had to say.

* * *

After the last patrol under his command checked in with him, Captain Leonhard couldn't sleep. Instead, he sat out on the rear deck of the mess hall, smoking an old-fashioned cigar, drinking black coffee, and reading on his scroll.

"Damn, why would you go into the haunted mansion? Not a good plan." he mumbled to himself as he read.

Suddenly, he heard a noise not unlike thunder behind him, but before he could turn he and everything around him were turned into ash.

* * *

"All right, we are go, I repeat, we are go!" Katze exclaimed into her earpiece as her black-clad companion set down the detonator. The formerly dark night sky was now lit by the rising fireball of the superthermal charge that they had set near the barracks.

Katze stood up, and her companion follow suit. "Now what?"

"We wait for the Bullhead to pick us up, we land in the hangar of the frigate, and use the cluster of spider droids to hold the base off while we secure the ship and get off the ground."

"What about the anti-air defenses? Surely they can bring down a ship, even if it's as big as a frigate."

"Oh, they certainly can, but I have a way to take care of them." As she finished her sentence, the quiet night air was filled with the roar of engines as their not-insignificant air fleet arrived. One Bullhead dipped down, and opened it's right side, revealing a full detachment of White Fang elites and Mercury Black, all armed to the teeth with the finest weapons Atlas could build.

"Well, well, kiddies, it's time to get this party started!" he shouted, as they climbed on board. They grabbed onto the handles on the top of the compartment, and the pilot gunned the engine, whisking them towards the frigate and the burning base.

Following the others, the Bullhead set down inside the frigate's primary hanger. Faunus soldiers poured out of the gunships and immediately began storming the control room and gunning down any humans they saw. Mercury gestured to Katze and her partner. "You guys are with me."

Firing his gunboots, he launched himself to the other side of the hangar. Katze pulled her katars out of her belt and fired them at the ground, propelling herself after him, and as she soared across the room she could hear her partner follow suit. As they landed, she saw Mercury start bolting towards something.

The blast doors separating the hangar from the rest of the ship were slowly closing. Two Atlesian soldiers stood on the side opposite them, one with rifle drawn and the other at the control pad, frantically trying to get them to close faster.

"Come on, man, can't you make it go faster?!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!"

"Hurry, hurry - Aggghhh!" At the sound of two shotgun blasts and a very ominous thud, the soldier trying to shut the door turned to see his friend stuck into a wall, his blood dripping down the white surface in maroon streaks, and a man in grey with a very cocky grin facing him down.

"Cry for help. Do it."

"H-Help..!" the soldier cried weakly.

"LOUDER!"

"HEEELLLLPPPP!" A shotgun blast followed his scream for help, and the man in grey turned to face the direction of the blast.

"Let him die with dignity, Black."

"Hmph. Whatever. Come on, we have to get to the bridge." As the trio walked past, the last one, the one with a mask on, shoved a blade into the soldier's gut and twisted, finishing him off.

The trio flew through the hallways of the ship, easily killing any soldiers that stood in the hallways, but when they reached the door to the bridge they found it shut and barred by a blast door.

"Great. Alright, Prodigy, do your thing." Mercury ordered.

"As you say," replied the masked companion, who placed his hand on the control pad. The doors immediately opened at his touch.

"I knew you were good for something." Mercury praised, while Katze simply grunted in acknowledgement. Suddenly a familiar voice called out to them from inside the bridge.

"Well, if it isn't Mercury Black! Howya doin, kid?"


	4. An old friend

"Roman?"

"That's right!" The handsome red-haired criminal, looking a good bit more unkempt and much less dapper without his trademark hat, sat in the captain's chair, the captain lying at his feet, bound and gagged. Scattered around the room were a number unconscious officers. However, despite it all, he still had his equally-trademarked cane resting against the chair.

"You were on this ship?!" Mercury exclaimed incredulously.

"But of course, my obtuse partner in crime! Y'know, truth be told, I'd like to say that this was something Cinder and I planned ahead of time, but it's truly been an unexpected surprise."

"How'd you escape the brig?"

"With cunning, obviously. How else?" He bent down to pinch the captain's cheek like an over-affectionate aunt. "Isn't that right, Captain?" He stood back up with a dramatic flourish.

"I must say, Mercury, that my buddy the captain here," he said as he gave the captain a sharp kick to the gut, "was a most difficult customer to defeat. Did you know that all Atlesian ships are commanded by Huntsmen and Huntresses? It ties in with their macho culture of militarism and whatnot."

Torchwick turned to face the two that had entered with Mercury.

"Well now, who do we have here? A tiger faunus, and a guy in a black mask. Spooky! I'm not a betting man, but I'd wager that this fine feline is none other than Katze Hadu, the ever-elusive leader of the Atlesian branch of the White Fang. You've got an impressive record, kittycat! But I'm not sure about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Probably-not-so-Handsome over here. Care to clue me in, Black?"

"This is Prodigy. He's the best we've got. He can hack Atlesian systems almost instantly, and he fights better than I ever did back in Vale," replied Mercury, crossing his arms with a hint of arrogance in his eyes.

"Prodigy, huh? Interesting. And mysterious. Haven't you ever bothered to take that simply _chilling _mask off his face? For all you know, we could have James Ironwood under it, and we'd be selling our secrets to the highest bidder in the council. Might explain the hacking, for that matter!"

Mercury chuckled. "I can see prison hasn't changed you at all, Torchwick. Now get the ship started, we have to go before they get their Paladins working." Roman scowled at him, but did as he was told. Mercury pressed the intercom button while Torchwick started the ship, the deck vibrating under their feet as the massive engines roared to life.

"_Attention all passengers, this is your captain, Mercury Black, speaking. I hope you've cleared out all the pesky humans on board the ship, because it's about to sail! Effective immediately, this ship is the property of the White Fang, and that brings you one step closer to liberation and equality, so buckle up, people! We've got councilors to piss off!"_


	5. Welcome to Atlas

"Hey, Ruby, wake up." Torn from her sleep by Weiss shaking her shoulder, Ruby groaned and rolled over.

"No, seriously, wake up. We're in Atlas." Ruby sat up, suddenly excited. Her hair stuck out in random directions, giving her a wild look.

"Really?" she asked eagerly.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Why would I say it if it wasn't true?"

"Yaaay! I'm so excited, I've never been to another kingdom before! You're from Atlas, aren't you?" she cried as she threw herself out of bed.

"I am. It's nice enough, I suppose. Personally, I prefer Vale. It's much quieter, less rushing around, and the weather's better. Atlas is still my home, though."

"I guess that it'll probably be pretty snowy here, right? Hey, where's Yang and Blake?" she said, looking around the room on board the Atlesian cruiser _North Star_ that they had shared on the three-day trip from Vale to Atlas.

"Correct. It tends to snow here in late autumn, which means that we should all get warmer clothes. As for Blake and Yang, they're putting most of our stuff in the car my father provided to get us to the hotel in the city center that we'll be staying at for a few days."

"Your father knows that we're here?"

"He's on the council, Ruby, he definitely knows about us. He would have been part of the approval process for our coming here."

"Your father's on the council?!" Ruby asked, now even more excited than she was upon learning that they had arrived.

Before she could reply, Weiss' scroll buzzed in her pocket, which she withdrew and glanced at. "The dynamic duo is done, so grab whatever they missed and let's go. We can talk while we walk there." Scrambling, Ruby gathered up the wide variety of things she had not put into a bag and attempted to pass some off to Weiss, to no avail.

"Okay, I'm ready, let's go!" They left the room, shut the door behind them, and started making their way to the hangar where they were supposed to disembark.

"As I was about to say, unlike in Vale, where there's only three councilors, Atlas has thirty. Well, technically, thirty-five. Each time one dies or is otherwise removed from his post, the others choose a replacement from the nation's most respected generals, businessmen, and scientists. My father, as the most successful businessman in Remnant, has a very prestigious position in the council. He's one of five High Councilors, who are the faces of the council, chosen by the Thirty. They can vote just like the others, though." Weiss said with a hint of pride but also with a barely perceptible hint of disdain.

"Wow, Weiss, you're rich _and _famous! You're like a moviestar!"

Weiss pouted. "Don't be a pest, Ruby. You know how I feel about my family."

"Soooorry, Weiss~" she replied sweetly. "Go on, though, this is really cool! I love learning stuff. Tell me about the city!"

"As you wish. The city of Atlas is much older than Vale or Vacuo, yet not as old as Mistral. But you'd never know it. The city is really modern, much more so than Vale. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many huge buildings there are. The tallest, which is the Schnee Dust Company Building, has over 200 floors, but most are between 70 and 150 floors. It's so tall that on cloudy days, the top floor is way above the clouds. Since it's the biggest and most populous city on Remnant, the city's divided into about 30 wards, and each ward is run like a little city of it's own. The biggest buildings are in Weistadt Ward, which is also where we'll be staying."

"Oooh, cool! Wait, oh man, are we staying on a high floor?" Ruby asked, suddenly concerned.

"Floor 78, I believe. Why, are you afraid of heights?"

"No, I think they're cool, but Yang's terrified of them. Geez, she's gonna freak _out! _Well, she won't show it, 'cause she's gotta do her 'big strong sister' thing but inside she'll be like Yang jelly!"

"Well, that's not-" she began to say until she was cut off by a crewman of the warship bumping into her, apparently by accident. She almost fell over, but Ruby caught her.

"_Excuse you! _Watch where you're going! I've got dust in this bag, you know, and it would _really _screw up my day if it all exploded in my face!" she exclaimed, her lopsided ponytail bobbing with each exclamation, as if to add emphasis to what she said.

The skinny blonde seaman jumped up. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to, honestly! It won't happen again!"

"Good. Now, where were we, Ruby?" she said as she continued along through the hallways of the ship with a sour look on her face.

"Man, Weiss, you really know how to lay into somebody," Ruby said with a touch of sympathy for the frightened seaman that they had left behind.

"Well, he should have been more careful. So should _you, _for that matter!"

Ruby groaned. "I can't believe you still haven't forgotten about that."

"You could have killed us both! Anyway, it was how I met you, so I can't really forget it," she said, softening up.

Ruby looked at Weiss with a face that was, for once, unreadable. "Y'know, you're really a big softie, Weiss, you just don't want anybody to think you're weak. You should soften up more often."

Weiss blushed, looked away, and didn't say anything until they got to the hangar where Blake and Yang were waiting for them.

* * *

"Wow. Just.. Wow."

"Yeah, that's what a lot of people say." Team RWBY stood in an elevator, quickly ascending one of the taller towers in Weistadt Ward, not far from the epicenter of the city. In front of them, a seemingly endless expanse of skyscrapers and buildings stretched from horizon to horizon.

Blake and Ruby were practically glued to the windows, taking in the breathtaking beauty of the massive metropolis. Crystalline towers glistened orange in the twilight, like fiery ghosts rising from their graves to bask in the fog that hung around their midsections.

Yang, however, practically clung to the handrail, and wouldn't look at anything but the floor.

"You see that really tall tower there, the one with a lake around it?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" said Blake.

"It's floors all slowly rotate around, and every ten levels there's a park _in the building._"

Ruby gaped at it. "Weiss, I can't believe you _lived _here! It's so cool!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't live _here, _in the city, but I did come here a lot."

"Where did you live, then?"

"The Schnee estate is about a hundred miles away from the city, in the countryside. My father prefers to live in solitude but work in the city, so he takes an airship into the city everyday. He wanted us to come tonight, but I told him that we wanted to look around the city for a few days."

"Ooooh, we're gonna have _so _much fun!" Ruby squealed.

"We can't forget why we're here, though, and it's to stop the White Fang." Blake reminded her.

"Oh, come on, Blake, don't be such a downer! The White Fang is important, but so is having fun!" Ruby replied in a sing-song voice. The elevator doors parted, and the display above them showed that they were on the 78th floor, where they would be staying, courtesy of the Schnee Dust Company, which owned the hotel that occupied floors 70 through 80.

Yang practically bolted out of the elevator, and was visibly shaken by what they had just experienced.

"You alright, Yang? Heights getting to you?" Ruby asked, not unkindly.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine..! Heh. The view isn't for me, that's all," she said, reassuring herself more than anybody else.

"If you say so, sis," Ruby replied knowingly. They reached their room, which Weiss opened with a swipe of a card, and entered the room that they would call home for the next few days.

"Whooah! This room is huge! Awesome!" Ruby exclaimed, before stopping in her tracks in the kitchen. Her eyes grew wide.

"COOKIES!"

Weiss smiled, a rare occurrence for Team RWBY.

"I asked them to set out a plate of cookies before we arrived. I knew you'd appreciate the gesture." Before Weiss even finished her sentence, Ruby already had two cookies stuffed in her mouth a third in hand.

"Mmph! These are awesome!" Ruby cried, her mouth still full.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Weiss scolded. While Ruby and Weiss were arguing over cookies and the finer points of eating them, Blake and Yang were claiming beds for themselves. Yang naturally chose the one as far away from the very large windows as possible, and flopped down onto it.

"So what's for dinner, Ice Queen?" Yang asked from her corner of the room, where she was now huddled under a blanket.

Weiss huffed. "Anything you want, as long as you don't call me that."

"Anything?" Blake asked, looking up from her book.

"Yes. Anything."

"Even ice cream?" Ruby put in, earning an icy glare from her partner.

* * *

Yang patted her stomach as she leaned back in her seat. "Oh man. That was awesome."

Ruby and Weiss agreed, and Blake would have agreed, too, if she wasn't falling asleep at the table.

They all sat inside a Mistralian restaurant, which, true to get word, Weiss had taken everyone to.

"Weiss, you rock. Thanks for dinner." Ruby said, speaking up.

"It was my pleasure."

"What will we do tomorrow?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I was thinking that we could-"

"I have somebody to meet tomorrow, actually," Yang interrupted, earning her a nasty glare from Weiss and a quizzical look from Ruby.

"Here? In Atlas?" Weiss demanded.

"Yeah."

"Are you gonna tell us about it?" Ruby asked.

"Nope. Not yet, at least." Everyone was quiet after that. It wasn't really Yang's way to keep people in the dark, she tended towards compulsive honesty, so naturally the other members of Team RWBY were concerned.

Later that night, when they got back from dinner, and the other two were asleep, Weiss and Ruby had an emergency meeting about it in the hallway outside their room.

"What is she hiding?" Weiss wondered.

"I don't know. It's not like Yang to keep secrets. She's too loud and honest, y'know?"

"Whatever it is, I don't like it at all." She looked straight into Ruby's eyes, pale blue meeting silver. "Keep on your toes, Ruby. Even family can be dangerous."


End file.
